The Stunning Main Port of Muscat (Mina Qaboos)

Oman is slowly emerging from its hermit shell, revealing a land of friendly people and dramatic landscapes peppered with forts. Although it remains, in many ways, the most traditional country in the region, it's often more outward looking than it's given credit for.

Muscat, the official capital of Oman, is only a small part of a larger grouping of cities and towns strung some 40kms along the coast of the Gulf of Oman, which is known locally as the "Capital Area" or the "Muscat Municipality."

A thriving and strategically located port of the Arabian peninsula in ancient times. It has a somewhat medieval appearance with two old Portuguese forts, Jelali and Merani. These picturesque old structures co-exist with modern, commercial, and residential quarters of the neighbouring coastal towns, and lend the city an ambience all its own . The seaside, ceremonial palace of H.M.Sultan Qaboos Said, nestled between steep rocky hills, offers a spectacular sight.